op art [key], movement that became prominent in the United States and Europe in the mid-1960s. Deriving from abstract expressionism, op art includes paintings concerned with surface kinetics. Colors were used to create visual effects, such as afterimages and trompe l'oeil. Vibrating colors, concentric circles, and pulsating moiré patterns were characteristic of op works by such artists as Victor Vasarely, Richard Anusziewicz, Bridget Riley, Yaacov Agam, Larry Poons, and Julian Stanczak. A comprehensive exhibition of op art, entitled “The Responsive Eye,” was organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, in 1965.
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